General Electric
GE 2N5172 NPN Silicon Transistor, Loose, from Government Surplus Stock
- 2 photos
Never used. The original pack has been opened, or the quantity was split off a full reel or tube. Leads are original and unclipped.
New old stock, open stock on the grading scaleSend the quantity you need. You get a quote back with shipping before anything is charged.
Video
Filmed on the bench. Sound is stripped from product clips.
- 0:11
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Identification | |
| Part number | 2N5172 |
| Manufacturer | General Electric |
| Condition | New old stock, open stock |
| Date code | Not recorded |
| Package | TO-98 or TO-92 style through hole, depending on production run |
| Country of origin | Not recorded |
| Family | 2N5172 |
| Stock number | NEEXHTZK |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer part number | 2N5172 |
| Manufacturer | General Electric |
| Electrical | |
| Polarity and material | NPN silicon |
| Collector emitter voltage | About 25 V |
| Class | General purpose small signal and switching |
| Construction | |
| Package | TO-98 or TO-92 style through hole, by production run |
| Condition | |
| Packaging | Loose. NOT sealed and not government packed |
| Condition | Vintage old stock. Never installed, never soldered |
| Testing | Sold untested. Ask and the exact piece going in the envelope is metered first |
About this part
This is the cheap way to own a 2N5172, and the listing is going to be blunt about what separates it from the sealed one further along this drawer: nothing except the packaging, and everything about the price. This piece is loose. It came from the same kind of older General Electric government surplus inventory, and it is not sealed, was never sealed by us, and must not be described as government packed. Anyone selling a loose transistor on the strength of where the box came from is selling you a story.
What you get is a general purpose NPN silicon transistor rated around 25 V collector to emitter, in a through hole package that GE documentation shows as TO-98 or TO-92 style depending on which run it came from. It is a small signal workhorse: switching, general amplification, the kind of part a circuit uses several of without anybody thinking hard about it.
Which is exactly why the loose one is the right purchase for most people. If you need a working 2N5172 for a repair, buy this. If you need documented provenance for a military restoration, buy the sealed packet and pay for the packaging, because that is what the packaging is.
Expect oxidation, faded markings and possibly bent leads. Untested.
Questions about this part
Is this the same as the sealed 1977 one you list?
Same type, same kind of source stock, completely different proposition. That one is an unopened government packet with documented NSN, order number and barrier packaging specification, and the packaging is what you are paying for. This one is a loose transistor. If you want a working part, this is the one to buy.
Can I describe it as government sealed?
No, and neither will we. It is loose and it was loose when it arrived. A part is only sealed while the seal is intact, and describing this one otherwise on the strength of where the inventory came from would be a story rather than a fact.
Which package is it?
GE documentation shows the 2N5172 in a TO-98 or a TO-92 style through hole package depending on the production run. The photographs show the piece you would receive, so check them against what your board expects before ordering.
What condition are the leads in?
Expect oxidation, faded case markings and possibly a bent lead, which is what loose storage over decades does. The oxidation cleans off with a fibreglass pen and fresh flux. Nothing here has been installed.